[writer-director Rian] Johnson spends a lot of time making his universe seem lived-in and believable, but he's not just concerned with whiz-bang what-ifs. The showdown of selves illuminates just how little Gordon-Levitt's character has changed over the intervening years, stuck as he is in a feedback loop of drug use and violence despite his pipe dream of moving to Europe. The retro trench coats and firearms also suggest a sort of eternal recurrence, and as Looper's plot gets more complex, its central question simplifies: If we can't fix our mistakes, can we at least make sure we don't repeat the same ones over and over again?" Richard Corliss of Time magazine gave the film a positive review, calling Looper a "hybrid, mashing Quentin Tarantino and Philip K. Dick into a species of pulp science fiction" and also writing, "A fanciful film with the patina of hyper-realism, Looper is well served by actors who behave not as if they were dropped carelessly into the future but spent their whole desperate lives there." Dana Stevens of Slate gave the film a mixed review, writing, "Looper felt to me like a maddening near-miss: It posits an impossible but fascinating-to-imagine relationship – a face-to-face encounter between one's present and future self, in which each self must account for its betrayal of the other – and then throws away nearly all the dramatic potential that relationship offers." Accolades Top ten lists The film was included in the following top ten lists for the best films of 2012: References Further reading Ian Stasukevich. "Payback Time". American Cinematographer. Vol. 93, No. 10. October 2012. ISSN 0002-7928. Hollywood: California. Pages 64–70, 72–75. Behind-the-scenes article focusing on the film's camera work, lighting, etc. 11 pages, 20 photos. External links Looper at The Numbers 2012 films 2012 science fiction action films American independent films American science fiction thriller films American crime thriller films American dystopian films Films about contract killing Films about telekinesis Films set in 2044 Films set in the 2070s Films set in Kansas Films set in Kansas City, Missouri Films set in Shanghai Films set on farms Films set in the future Films shot in New Orleans Films shot in Shanghai Films about time travel Alternate timeline films TriStar Pictures films FilmDistrict films Films directed by Rian Johnson Films scored by Nathan Johnson (musician) Films produced by Ram Bergman Films with screenplays by Rian Johnson Films set